7 Reasons Not to Build a Mobile App

Apps are big money. There’s no denying that. To date, there have been more than 50 billion app downloads from the iOS App Store. But not every business needs an app, and in many cases, the process of building and marketing an app can be a massive black hole from which neither time nor money escapes. Here are some points to consider before you go all in on building a mobile app.

1. Apps are not a guaranteed get-rich-quick opportunity. According to app-promo.com, almost 70% of app developers never make more than $5,000 from their app; 60% do not break even! Will you make enough money from your app to justify the…

2. Higher cost. The average cost for developing an iOS app is $27,000. The average cost of developing an Android app is $22,000. This is a lot of money. Are you willing to make that sort of investment? Chances are you’ll need…

3. Multiple versions! You will need an app, that at a bare minimum, works on Android and iOS. Windows Phone is also another emerging platform to consider. With multiple versions comes another nasty beast…

4. More testing! In addition to all the testing to make sure your website works, you’ll have to make sure there are no errors or bugs in your app. Testing apps is time-consuming and annoying process. Even if your app is bug-free, there’s always…

5. Too much competition. There are currently more than 900,000 apps in the iOS app store and more than 850,000 apps on Google Play. The chances of your app getting noticed without an extensive marketing campaign are ridiculously low. Let's just say that your app gets noticed. Even if they do download your app…

6. Many mobile apps are not used more than once. It’s just a fact; according to Localytics, 26% of mobile apps are used just once. In most cases, it's faster and easier to use a mobile site. So if no one’s going to use your app more than once, why not try…

7. Responsive website design. Chances are, a responsive website design will serve the same purpose as a mobile app. Responsive website design is a way of designing websites that changes the way a website looks based on page width, enabling you to have a website that looks good (and works) on tablets, smartphones, and PCs. For more information about why your website needs a responsive design, view our blog post here.